9th Sept - VIRGIN PILOTS STRIKE AVERTED

Pilots at Virgin Atlantic have reached agreement with airline representatives, avoiding the possibility of industrial action that would potentially have caused huge disruption at the airline. British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) general secretary Jim McAuslan said: "Both sides have conducted talks that were frank, to the point and creative. While the issue has created much debate, we are now happy with both the agreement and the ground that has been laid for our future relationship with the company".

8th Sept - NZ SAYS AVOID CHRISTCHURCH

Tourism New Zealand is advising passengers due to travel to Christchurch on the South Island to stay away following the earthquake last weekend. Although Christchurch International Airport is open and both international and domestic flights are able to operate, tourists are being asked to delay non-essential trips to give locals time to repair the damage. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said "The city has obviously been seriously affected and if visitors are planning a trip, they should contact their travel agent and accommodation provider before leaving."

7th Sept - FRENCH SRIKE CAUSING TRAVEL CHAOS

Air and rail travel to, from and within France is being hit today by a 24-hour national strike which is due to end at 5am, Wednesday 8th. The strikes are likely to cause delays and disruption to many services with many travellers left stranded as a result. The French Civil Aviation Authority has limited flights due to strike action by air traffic controllers, however Air France said it plans to operate all long-haul flights, and 90% of short haul flights at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and 50% of flights from Paris-Orly.

6th Sept - LUFTHANSA LAUNCHES A380 TO BEIJING

Lufthansa has launched an Airbus A380 flight between Frankfurt and Beijing, serving the city once a week. However, with coordination from Chinese authorities, Lufthansa aims to increase the frequency at a later date. The A380, which bears the name Peking, will fly under flight number LH720 to Beijing and will carry the return flight number LH721. The aircraft is configured with 8 First Class and 98 Business Class seats on the upper deck as well as 420 seats Economy Class on the main deck.

3rd Sept - GERMANS INTRODUCE NEW AIR TAX

Germany has introduced a new aviation tax that will add €25 on to flights to the UK as part of a package to help reduce the German government's deficit. The tax comes into play with immediate effect on flights booked from today and departing from the New Year. Lufthansa said it was strongly opposed to the tax saying "Such unilateral action will weaken Germany as a base for the aviation industry, and will massively distort competition."

2nd Sept - HURRICANE EARL NEARS EAST US

The approach of category 4 hurricane "Earl" to the eastern seaboard of the United States has initiated mass evacuations from coastal areas of both North and South Carolina, with fragile Cape Hatteras looking particularly likely to receive the brunt of the Major hurricane's advance. Winds, which could gust to over 200mph, are currently at a maximum sustained 1-minute speed of 145mph and are predicted to cause widespread damage to infrastructure if the hurricane makes landfall at its current intensity. However, there is hope that Earl will still turn out to the Atlantic over the next 48 hours. But, regardless of the actual track of the Hurricane, travel is expected to be severely disrupted in the region over the next few days.